If you bring (them) a message concerning a woman or gold, they will all lay before you their money and lives (in entire devotion)—
گر تو پیغام زنی آری و زر ** پیش تو بنهند جمله سیم و سر
(The message), ‘A sweetheart in such and such a place invites thee (to come to her): she is in love with thee, she knows thee.’1145
که فلان جا شاهدی می‌خواندت ** عاشق آمد بر تو او می‌داندت
But if you bring (them) the honey-like message of God, ‘Come to God, O thou who hast a good covenant (with Him);
ور تو پیغام خدا آری چو شهد ** که بیا سوی خدا ای نیک‌عهد
Go from the world of death towards the (eternal) provision: since everlastingness is possible, do not be perishing’—
از جهان مرگ سوی برگ رو ** چون بقا ممکن بود فانی مشو
They will seek (to shed) thy blood and (take) thy life, not in zeal for religion and (spiritual and moral) excellence.
قصد خون تو کنند و قصد سر ** نه از برای حمیت دین و هنر
The reason why the vulgar are at enmity with, and live in estrangement from, the saints of God who call them unto God and the Water of Life everlasting.
سبب عداوت عام و بیگانه زیستن ایشان به اولیاء خدا کی بحقشان می‌خوانند و با آب حیات ابدی
Nay, but on account of their sticking to house and goods ’tis bitter (hateful) to them to hear this exposition (given by the prophets).
بلک از چفسیدگی در خان و مان ** تلخشان آید شنیدن این بیان
(Suppose) a rag is stuck fast upon the donkey's sore: when you wish to tear it off, bit by bit,1150
خرقه‌ای بر ریش خر چفسید سخت ** چونک خواهی بر کنی زو لخت لخت
The donkey, because of the pain (inflicted on him), will certainly kick: happy the man who abstained from (touching) him!—
جفته اندازد یقین آن خر ز درد ** حبذا آن کس کزو پرهیز کرد
Especially (when there are) fifty sores, and a soaked rag stuck on the top of them in every case.
خاصه پنجه ریش و هر جا خرقه‌ای ** بر سرش چفسیده در نم غرقه‌ای
House and goods are like the rag, and this greed (of thine) is the sore: the greater the greed, the greater the sore.
خان و مان چون خرقه و این حرص‌ریش ** حرص هر که بیش باشد ریش بیش
The wilderness alone is the house and goods of the owl: he (the owl) will not listen to descriptions of Baghdád and Tabas.
خان و مان چغد ویرانست و بس ** نشنود اوصاف بغداد و طبس
If a royal falcon come from the road and bring to these owls a hundred reports of the King,1155
گر بیاید باز سلطانی ز راه ** صد خبر آرد بدین چغدان ز شاه
(With) a full account of the imperial city and the orchards and the rivers—then a hundred enemies will jeer at him,
شرح دارالملک و باغستان و جو ** پس برو افسوس دارد صد عدو
Saying, ‘What has the falcon brought? An old story. He is weaving words of vanity and idle brag.’
که چه باز آورد افسانه‌ی کهن ** کز گزاف و لاف می‌بافد سخن
(’Tis) they (that) are old and rotten unto everlasting; otherwise (they would know that) that breath (of prophetic inspiration) makes the old new.
کهنه ایشانند و پوسیده‌ی ابد ** ورنه آن دم کهنه را نو می‌کند
It gives life to the old dead (spirits): it gives the crown of reason and the light of faith.
مردگان کهنه را جان می‌دهد ** تاج عقل و نور ایمان می‌دهد
Do not steal thy heart away from the spirit-bestowing heart-ravisher, for he will mount thee on the back of Rakhsh.1160
دل مدزد از دلربای روح‌بخش ** که سوارت می‌کند بر پشت رخش
Do not steal thy head away from the crown-giving one whose head is exalted, for he will untie a hundred knots from the foot of thy heart.
سر مدزد از سر فراز تاج‌ده ** کو ز پای دل گشاید صد گره
Whom shall I tell? Where in the village is any (spiritually) living one? Where is any one that runs towards the Water of Life?
با کی گویم در همه ده زنده کو ** سوی آب زندگی پوینده کو
Thou art fleeing from Love because of a single humiliation: what dost thou know of Love except the name?
تو به یک خواری گریزانی ز عشق ** تو به جز نامی چه می‌دانی ز عشق
Love hath a hundred disdains and prides: Love is gained by means of a hundred blandishments.
عشق را صد ناز و استکبار هست ** عشق با صد ناز می‌آید به دست
Since Love is loyal, it purchases (desires) him that is loyal: it does not look at a disloyal comrade.1165
عشق چون وافیست وافی می‌خرد ** در حریف بی‌وفا می‌ننگرد
Man resembles a tree, and the root is the covenant (with God): the root must be cherished with all one's might.
چون درختست آدمی و بیخ عهد ** بیخ را تیمار می‌باید به جهد
A corrupt (infirm) covenant is a rotten root and is cut off (deprived) of fruit and grace.
عهد فاسد بیخ پوسیده بود ** وز ثمار و لطف ببریده بود
Although the boughs and leaves of the date-palm are green, greenness is no benefit (when conjoined) with corruption of the root;
شاخ و برگ نخل گر چه سبز بود ** با فساد بیخ سبزی نیست سود
And if it (the bough) have no green leaves, while it hath a (good) root, at the last a hundred leaves will put forth their hands.
ور ندارد برگ سبز و بیخ هست ** عاقبت بیرون کند صد برگ دست
Be not duped by his (the learned man's) knowledge; seek (to know whether he keeps) the covenant: knowledge is like a husk, and his covenant is its kernel.1170
تو مشو غره به علمش عهد جو ** علم چون قشرست و عهدش مغز او
Explaining that when the evil-doer becomes settled in evil-doing and sees the effect of the (spiritual) fortune of the doers of righteousness, he from envy becomes a devil and preventer of good, like Satan; for he whose stack is burnt desires that all (others) should have their stacks burnt: ‘hast thou seen him who forbids a servant (of God) when he performs the (ritual) prayer?’
در بیان آنک مرد بدکار چون متمکن شود در بدکاری و اثر دولت نیکوکاران ببیند شیطان شود و مانع خیر گردد از حسد هم‌چون شیطان کی خرمن سوخته همه را خرمن سوخته خواهد ارایت الذی ینهی عبدا اذا صلی
When you see that the loyal have profited, thereat you become envious, like a devil.
وافیان را چون ببینی کرده سود ** تو چو شیطانی شوی آنجا حسود
Whenever a man's temperament and constitution is feeble, he does not wish any one to be sound in body.
هرکرا باشد مزاج و طبع سست ** او نخواهد هیچ کس را تن‌درست
If you dislike (to have) the jealousy of Iblís, come (away) from the door of pretension (and advance) to the portal of loyalty.
گر نخواهی رشک ابلیسی بیا ** از در دعوی به درگاه وفا
When thou hast not loyalty, at least do not talk (presumptuously), for words are for the most part self-assertion—‘we’ and ‘I.’
چون وفاات نیست باری دم مزن ** که سخن دعویست اغلب ما و من
These words, (whilst they stay) in the breast, are an income consisting of (spiritual) kernels: in silence the spiritual kernel grows a hundredfold.1175
این سخن در سینه دخل مغزهاست ** در خموشی مغز جان را صد نماست
When it (the word) comes on to the tongue, the kernel is expended: refrain from expending, in order that the goodly kernel may remain (with you).
چون بیامد در زبان شد خرج مغز ** خرج کم کن تا بماند مغز نغز
The man who speaks little hath strong thoughts: when the husk, namely speech, becomes excessive, the kernel goes.
مرد کم گوینده را فکرست زفت ** قشر گفتن چون فزون شد مغز رفت
(When) the rind is excessive, the kernel is thin: the rind becomes thin when it (the kernel) becomes perfect and goodly.
پوست افزون بود لاغر بود مغز ** پوست لاغر شد چو کامل گشت و نغز
Look at these three (fruits) when they have passed beyond immaturity: the walnut and the almond and the pistachio.
بنگر این هر سه ز خامی رسته را ** جوز را و لوز را و پسته را
Whoever disobeys (God) becomes a devil, for he becomes envious of the fortune of the righteous.1180
هر که او عصیان کند شیطان شود ** که حسود دولت نیکان شود
When you have acted loyally in (keeping) your covenant with God, God will graciously keep His covenant with you.
چونک در عهد خدا کردی وفا ** از کرم عهدت نگه دارد خدا
You have shut your eyes to keeping faith with God, you have not hearkened to (the words) remember Me, I will remember you.
از وفای حق تو بسته دیده‌ای ** اذکروا اذکرکم نشنیده‌ای
Give ear, listen to (the words) keep My covenant, in order that (the words) I will keep your covenant may come from the Friend.
گوش نه اوفوا به عهدی گوش‌دار ** تا که اوفی عهدکم آید ز یار
What is our covenant and loan, O sorrowful one? (It is) like sowing a dry seed in the earth.
عهد و قرض ما چه باشد ای حزین ** هم‌چو دانه‌ی خشک کشتن در زمین
From that (sowing) neither do glory and grandeur accrue to the earth, nor riches to the owner of the earth.1185
نه زمین را زان فروغ و لمتری ** نه خداوند زمین را توانگری
(’Tis nothing) except an indication, as though to say, ‘I need this kind (of produce), the origin whereof Thou didst create from non-existence.
جز اشارت که ازین می‌بایدم ** که تو دادی اصل این را از عدم
I ate, and (now) I bring the seed as a token, begging Thee to send to us such bounty (as before).’
خوردم و دانه بیاوردم نشان ** که ازین نعمت به سوی ما کشان
Abandon, then, the dry (verbal) prayer, O fortunate one; for the tree demands (presupposes) the scattering of seed.
پس دعای خشک هل ای نیک‌بخت ** که فشاند دانه می‌خواهد درخت
(But) if you have no seed, on account of that prayer God will bestow on you a palm-tree, saying, ‘How well did he labour!’
گر نداری دانه ایزد زان دعا ** بخشدت نخلی که نعم ما سعی
Like Mary: she had (heartfelt) pain, but no seed: an artful One made green that (withered) palm-tree (for her sake).1190
هم‌چو مریم درد بودش دانه نی ** سبز کرد آن نخل را صاحب‌فنی
Because that noble Lady was loyal (to God), God gave unto her a hundred desires without desire on her part.
زانک وافی بود آن خاتون راد ** بی‌مرادش داد یزدان صد مراد
The company who have been loyal are given superiority over all (other) sorts (of men).
آن جماعت را که وافی بوده‌اند ** بر همه اصنافشان افزوده‌اند
Seas and mountains are made subject to them; the four elements also are the slaves of that class.
گشت دریاها مسخرشان و کوه ** چار عنصر نیز بنده‌ی آن گروه